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Using the Paver Material Calculator

This calculator is great for determining the amount of material needed for any paver or patio project. Simply enter the size of the patio and the size of the pavers and the calculator will find the number of pavers needed. You can also enter the price per paver and the calculator can assist with material cost. Learn more about how to install a paver patio to prepare for your installation.

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Finding the Number of Pavers Needed

The first step in finding how many pavers you need for a patio project is to measure the area of the project, you’ll need to measure the length and width of your patio. The square footage calculator can help find the square footage of an area if you need assistance. Square footage can be found by multiplying the width by the length.

The next step is to find the the square footage of paver you want to use. Assuming the paver size is 12″ x 12″, multiply 12×12 and then divide 144 by the answer, ie. 144/(12*12) = 1.0. That means you need 1 paver per square foot, which makes sense since a 12″ x 12″ paver is 1 square foot.

After you have found the square footage of both the project and the paver, determining the number of pavers needed is as simple as dividing the patio square footage by the paver square footage, ie. (patio ft2) / (paver ft2). It is recommended to add 5%-10% additional pavers to account for broken pavers or cuts.

Estimating the Price of a Paver Patio

The average cost to have a professional install a paver patio is $8 – $20 per square foot. When installing one yourself, you need to find how much material you’ll need to find the price. To find how much your pavers will cost you can multiply the cost of each paver by the number needed for your patio. In addition, you will also need to estimate how much gravel and sand are needed to install your patio, which is covered below. Once you know how much material is needed you can multiply that by the cost per cubic yard. You may also want to account for material delivery and tool rental in your price estimate.

Estimating Pavers When Using a Pattern

Pavers are often installed in a pattern using different sized tiles. The trick to estimating paver quantities needed to complete these patterns is to assemble the repeating pattern and estimate the square footage of the pattern itself, then calculate how many repeating patterns are needed. For instance, if your pattern requires 2 4″ x 8″ pavers for every 1 8″ x 8″ unit you can calculate the square footage of all 3 pavers together(.89 ft2) and then find how many sets of pavers are needed, eg. (patio ft2) / (.89 ft2).

In addition to repeating patterns using different sized pavers, different layout patterns can influence how much material should be ordered. For instance, a herringbone pattern requires more cuts than a linear grid, resulting in more waste material. We recommend ordering 20% more material when using patterns laid out at an angle as they result in more cuts and waste material.

Estimating Sand and Gravel for Paver Patio

When installing a paver patio you must have a solid base to support the patio and prevent settling over time. We recommend starting with a base of 4″ of gravel topped with 1″ of sand, which is an industry standard for most patio installations. To estimate the amount of gravel and sand needed you must find the ft2 of your patio and then find the volume needed for a 4″ layer of gravel and a 1″ layer of sand. Use our cubic yardage calculator to estimate 4″ of gravel or use it to estimate 1″ of sand.

In most patio and driveway installations polymeric sand should be added to fill in the joints between the pavers. This locks them together so they don’t move and also prevents weeds and plants from growing in the joints. A 50lb bag of polymeric sand typically covers 25-50 square feet. Use our polymeric sand calculator to estimate how much you need for your installation.

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